A young unicorn skipped along the roads, her green and pink mane blowing in the wind, just like the leaves on her cutie mark did.
Despite how she acted on the outside, she knew she lived in a world of horror, that the place of Equestria was filled with monsters and dangers. An old song based on a tale she loved went, “The Fire of Friendship lives in our hearts.” But what did the Fire of Friendship really mean if it was discovered by fearing monsters? Did everything have a dark side? Did she have a dark side?
I only wish she did.
She was a curious young mare, with a hatred for all things evil in the world. She didn’t realize, though, that the drive she had was going to lead to her becoming such a recognized pony. And for what the monsters thought was nothing but bad for them.
She ignored the fact that she was hated by many, the fact that the ones who didn’t hate her didn’t even notice her at all. She didn’t care if she had only a few days left to live. She was going to make the most of it.
She was a tough mare, that one. She hated me for all my worth, and she equally hated my beloved Bewitching Bell. It held much of my own magic, including a spell that meant it could not be destroyed.
Years ago, she stole the bell from me, hiding it at the top of Mount Everhoof, the tallest mountain in this cursed place. When I finally discovered it, I was distraught. First, I’d finally learned that my old nemesis was far stronger than I’d like to ever admit. Second, she placed a shield that was also stronger than what I could bear to destroy. With her strong wind magic, she cast a spell that caused the bell to be hidden by lots of snow and strong winds.
And so there the bell remained, at the top, where it was impossible for most feeble creatures to reach.
And so in peace Equestria forever remained. In peace my nemesis rested. And in peace, and sometimes exhaustion from trying to break free, I will forever lay. One day, I hope someone will find and free me.
One day, I hope some almighty creature will destroy the Spirit of my nemesis, Gusty the Great.
“Wait, what?” Sunny stood up from where she was sitting, knocked out from the blow, and looked at her oldest friend, wondering what the hay he was talking about.
Hitch showed her the ancient-looking paper he held in his hooves. “I found it while we were searching for the shards of the bell. I don’t know if now is the right time to show it to you. Actually, I didn’t know if there would ever be a right time, but I figured—”
“No, no, no,” she interrupted. “Anytime would’ve worked. This is perfect! An account from the monster we’re facing himself. We have to show Twilight!”
Hitch smiled and followed his excited friend to find the face of a less enthralled pony. The Princess was crying, and neither of them had any idea why. They’d followed her instructions, lit up the sky with rainbows like the Crystal Brighthouse happened to do, and cast an amazingly powerful spell. So why was Princess Twilight Sparkle so sad about it all?
That was just what Sunny asked her.
Instead of getting a teary-eyed explanation, which she expected, Sunny received a yelling-at from the pony who taught her not to do this. Maybe it wasn’t to her directly, but it felt just as horrible. “We should never have done any of this! The fact that we continued with the idea was preposterous!”
“Twilight…?”
She cried, “It’s insane! Now the world is filled with chaos magic!”
“Technically,” a familiar and tiring voice rang out, “it’s not chaos magic. That’s my magic. Grogar’s is more of, say, Bewitching spells and such.”
“Discord,” Sunny said in a monotone voice, “just shut up.” His eyes widened, but he did follow Sunny’s instructions.
“And Twilight,” she said slowly, not sure how to console her own idol, “it’s alright. The good guys always win, no matter what it takes.”
They all watched as Twilight stood at the balcony, facing the crowds of ponies and beams of magic—Bewitching magic. “That’s in the stories, Sunny. This is real life.” Her voice was less harsh as she spoke. “While I appreciate your optimism, I can’t understand it right now. And…”
“And?” Normally, Sunny would’ve squealed at a compliment from Princess Twilight. But, as Twilight was implying, her cheerfulness wasn’t going to help them at all.
“Nothing. Just something I was thinking about. I saw something earlier, a vision. But I’m not sure what it’s supposed to mean,” she explained.
“Oh.”
They remained silent for a while, although the scene was filled with screams from those outside. “You know,” Sunny said, finally breaking the silence, “Hitch did find this account from Grogar. I don’t know if it’s supposed to help at all, but it’s worth a try, right?”
Twilight had no answer. She skimmed through the passage, her eyes filling with worry. “Can I… see that thing again… That high-tech future thing you have captured of Grogar and your friend?”
Sunny only nodded as she handed her phone to the Princess, the video Pipp had sent to them all displayed on it.
So many lines stuck out to Twilight. What would she do now?
“Sooo…” Starlight said, finally speaking up from the back of the room. “Do you think there are any more accounts? I mean, Grogar had to fill his time up with something, right?”
“He did fill his time up,” her alicorn friend answered. “He spent his time building machines, trying to escape from the prison Gusty the Great trapped him in. He’s got determination, that’s for sure. But that’s a bad thing in this case.”
They all stared.
“Do you think you should search for more?” Sunny asked Hitch in a whispery voice.
He shook his head. “No. I’m going to go try and stop Sprout.”
“You mean kill yourself,” she retaliated. “You saw those machines. You can’t do this, Hitch. And, remember what he said? ‘I’m coming back stronger?’ He was already strong enough when he destroyed my old home. With Grogar and powerful machines on his side, you’re going to—”
“Stop,” Twilight declared calmly. “Hitch, I’m sorry, but your friend here is right. The vision I saw earlier. It’s not that… It’s just… I don’t really think it’s a good idea, let alone the best.”
But when she turned, in tears, to face him, the sheriff was already gone.